What is industry doing?

11:59 AM, 18 September 2013

Coca-Cola NZ has recently publicly committed itself to ‘being part of the solution’ to obesity’ by openly publicising the steps they have taken to raise public awareness, offering wider consumer choice and commit to healthy lifestyles. Paul Fitzgerald,General Manager of Coca-Cola NZ said, ‘We were one of the first in our industry to introduce front-of-package kilojoule information in 2007...from 2013 we will begin to place this information on our vending machines’.

This is just one of the developments Coca-Cola have committed to, along with having more lower kilojoule options to go with the many already available, increasing the availability of small portions as well as initiating a cycling program later in the year, designed to give people wider access to bikes and encourage them to use them as an alternate form of transport.

Despite the criticism of the campaign, the health lobby being open with consumers and utilising the strength of their communication channels, Coca-Cola is helping consumers consider their beverage choices. It is through the collective efforts of business, government and civil society, that progress can be made. Coca-Cola have publicly committed to doing their part and look forward to helping facilitate positive change in our communities. Click here to read more on Coca-Cola’s initiatives.

We all understand that one of the key social impacts of the last twenty years has been children leading more sedentary lives. For that reason, ANZA endorses efforts by a number of food companies to support initiatives that encourage children to be active.

Sanitarium is one of New Zealand’s oldest providers of breakfast goods, including Kiwi staples Marmite and Weet-Bix. With a philosophy embedded in providing healthy options for their buyers, Sanitarium are firm advocates for ‘a better life through better nutrition,’ and for twenty-one years have been sponsors of the Weet-Bix Kiwi Kids TRYathlon, geared towards building a supportive environment for kids to ‘Give it a Go’ and provide positive and affirming rewards to children who take part in this event.

More than 20.000 Kiwi kids now take part on the Weet-Bix TRYathlon each year, enjoying the event itself but more importantly learning life skills about exercise and well-being. These are just two examples of the work going on by industry. Please keep ANZA informed of initiatives your company is taking to improve the health and well-being of New Zealanders. Contact lindsay@anza.co.nz